


Loving Freedom

by Miraculous_Content



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Luka doesn't ship Adrienette, dating but not dating, post-"Miraculous New York"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26893453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraculous_Content/pseuds/Miraculous_Content
Summary: After Marinette returns from New York, she makes the nerve-racking decision to talk to Luka about what happened there. It's only fair, even if they're not exactlydatingdating (w-well, kind of, but not really).He has a very different reaction than the one she feared.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 31
Kudos: 237





	Loving Freedom

Marinette sat on the couch and wrung her hands together, heart pounding in her chest as she watched Luka pace back and forth in front of her. Normally, she’d find the lighting of the Liberty’s lounge room to be calming, but it wasn’t doing anything for her anxiety at the moment.

She’d spilled everything about New York to Luka, excluding anything Ladybug-related. She felt guilty, obviously, which was partly why she told him, but there was also something about Luka that made her want to tell him anything that came to her head.

But, he hadn’t responded yet, and her nerves were rising with every passing second. She was certain that he must be mad at her - why wouldn’t he be? - but the unreadable expression on his face left her even more unsure at exactly _how mad_ he was going to be.

Her gaze lowered to the ground, one hand moving to clutch the opposite arm. What if her actions were unforgivable? What if he _hated_ her? What if he never wanted to see her again? Even beyond anything romantic she felt for him, he was also a great friend and more understanding than anyone else she knew, so how terrible must she be to turn away the kindest soul in Paris? What was she supposed to do without him?

She shook, her nails digging into her skin in an attempt to mask her emotional struggles with physical pain. She let out a soft whimper, her vision just barely registered Luka stopping out of the corner of her gaze.

“M-marinette,” Luka’s voice called out as he made his way to her. “I’m sorry, I got lost in my own head. It was a lot to listen to all at once.”

She shut her eyes tight, curling in on herself more. “Y-you don’t have anything to apologize for!” Voice was hushed despite the stress in her tone, she added, “It was all my fault! You should be _furious_ with me!”

“I’m _not,_ ” he said. Judging by the slight shift in where she heard his voice coming from, she guessed that he was leaning in to get a better look at her face. “Not at you, at least. Why would I be?”

“Because I freaked out around Adrien again!” she reminded him, covering her face with her free hand. “I was always near him and the thoughts wouldn’t stop and—”

“— _And I know it’s not your fault,_ ” Luka interjected. She felt his hand attempt to pry her own away from gripping her arm, so she let him, even if she didn’t feel like she deserved to have her hand held by him. He continued, asking, “Can I tell you what I heard in everything you told me?”

She didn’t fully understand, but answered anyway, “I-I guess?”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I heard a lot of _pressure;_ a lot of other people telling you what to do, or how to feel, or setting things up that you never agreed to. I heard you trying your _best_ not to think about how you felt because you didn’t _want it._ ”

“I-I still danced with him,” she said weakly.

“When _he_ pulled you in without you answering? When you were _flying up in the air_ with only the two of you there and no idea how to get down? When Alya set you up to dance with him by playing that song?” he pointed out.

“I—” She hesitated, letting out a noncommittal whine from her throat. She wasn’t quite ready to leave her state of self-loathing. “But I chased after him.”

“After being yelled at. After you’d already been through more than enough. After you—” He stopped suddenly, a low sigh of frustration leaving him. “—after you _came back in the rain after an akuma attack!_ ”

The force in his tone shocked her to the point of uncovering her face to see how upset he was. “L-luka?”

“Out of all the things they could’ve worried about,” he murmured, looking away at the wall, “it was getting you to _confess,_ when _they_ set you up to be in that room that the supervillain ended up being in, and they didn’t even apologize for it.”

“T-that was a set-up?” she asked in surprise, having honestly thought that Alya wanted her to get pictures of the saber.

Luka glanced back at her, the anger in his expression fading into sympathy. He looked down at their joined hands, then let go and stood up. Gesturing to the seat next to her, he waited until she nodded at him to sit down there. Permission given, he leaned against the couch and stared ahead at nothing.

She looked at his face warily. “You’re… really not upset with me?”

“I’m upset at the _situation,_ ” he replied. “You can be friends with Adrien and still want him to go to New York, or still want him to stay with you, but no one was worried about what mattered and kept playing a song you didn’t want to hear.”

She stared down at her lap. “I…I mean, I was crazy around Adrien. They—”

“ _Marinette._ ”

She stiffened at him grabbing her shoulder, but didn’t turn to face him.

“Please, _don’t_ blame yourself for this. You’re working on it and you’re trying your best. No one has any right to judge you or make fun of you and then wonder why you’re not moving at _their_ pace.”

“Bu—” She trailed off, any argument dying before it could make it past her lips. It was almost strange, hearing someone tell her that things were _okay_ and how she _felt_ was okay so long as she was making an effort, but the implication of how jarring it was for her was something she didn’t want to think about right then.

Luka’s hand rose up from her shoulder, and Marinette was surprised when the back of his index finger touched her cheek. She turned to him, Luka’s concern showing blatantly on his face as his eyes darted over every centimeter of visible skin. His hand found hers again and she couldn’t help blushing at his caresses.

“Ah—”

“Are you alright?” he asked gently.

His voice almost didn’t register with her right away. “H-huh?”

“You were walking in the _rain,_ ” he recited from what she’d told him before, “and then you fell off a bike onto the street. Do you have a fever? Did you get hurt?”

Emotions built up in her chest at the questions she hadn’t thought she needed to be asked. Her gaze softened, eyes watery at the care she was being given.

Luka’s eyes widened. He seemed to catch himself, slowly withdrawing his hand. “Sorry, I just—”

“ _No!_ ” Marinette cut in, reacting quickly to the movement. She reached out, grabbing his hand with both of hers.

He ceased pulling away, but looked to her for further instruction.

She blushed, sheepishly bringing his hand back towards her face. “It’s okay. _I’m_ okay. I-I love this,” she told him. Guiding his hand until his palm was resting on her cheek, she sighed blissfully. “I love how _easy_ you make everything, Luka.”

He smiled at her, slowly stroking her face with his thumb. “I wish it could be like that for you all the time.” He hesitated, but added anyway, “I wish _I_ could’ve been there for you in New York.”

She released her hands from his, content when he kept it against her cheek. Looking at him with a small, lopsided smile, she joked, “So you could walk in the rain with me and get soaked while there’s an akuma running around?”

He tilted his head to the side, vaguely amused as he suggested, “Yeah. Maybe I would’ve been able to catch up to that car on a bike, like I did with that bus?”

They giggled in harmony, the sound filling the room a lot more nicely than all her anxiety did. She felt her cheeks heat up, but rather in happiness than embarrassment, and she hoped that he could feel it.

“Thanks, Luka,” she said softly. “I wish you could’ve been there too. I-I mean, not for the _akuma destroying New York_ part, obviously, and that _disaster_ that was the plane ride, and all those moments where I got stuck with Adrien somehow and it must’ve been _painful_ to watch, and—”

He cut her off with another chuckle. “I know, Marinette.” He raised his other hand in offering, and she wordlessly gave him permission to place it on her other cheek. “I’m sorry too, by the way.”

Her brows rose. “Sorry?” She gingerly held onto his wrists. “For what?”

“I feel like a little of this is my fault.” Before she could even argue, he continued, “I wanted you to get clarity, but I didn’t think about your friends, or you and Adrien being forced together. I wanted you to feel out how you felt at _your_ tempo, whether that meant getting close to Adrien or not, but you weren’t ready for what that trip threw at you. You asked for help - you wanted off the plane - and you didn’t get it. That was _never_ what I wanted.”

She paused to absorb the words, looking down and lightly playing with the bracelets on his wrist. “Y-you couldn’t have predicted any of that though.”

He shrugged. “I’ve learned that I can’t predict what’ll happen with you.” With a fond smile, he added, “Especially how I end up feeling about you.”

“ _L-luka,_ ” she chided with a squeak, only earning a bigger smile out of him. She turned her face towards one of his hands to hide herself, mumbling, “I should’ve just told them we were dating.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” he retorted. “Besides, we’re not official.”

“I know,” she huffed, immediately hearing him chuckle at how disappointed she sounded. Still, she couldn’t help frowning. “I just… I hate feeling like this—about Adrien, I mean. I-I want it to stop. Everyone else makes fun of me for it and it’s _miserable._ ”

“We’ll get through it.” He caressed her cheek with the hand she wasn’t burying her face into. “I promise.”

“Really?” She looked up at him with hope in her eyes, her hands falling to her lap. “You think so?”

He dropped both of his hands to her shoulders, giving her a firm nod. “Yeah. It won’t last forever, Marinette. It’s a bad song stuck in your head, and it doesn’t have to stay there if you don’t want it to.”

“I-I don’t!” she confirmed, almost eagerly. She had no idea how much she needed to hear someone validate her views on her Adrien crush. “And… you’re the good song. You know that too, right?”

He looked briefly surprised, then smiled. “Yeah. That’s why I can be happy right now.”

She couldn’t help herself. She leaned forward and hugged him, his hands that were previously on her shoulders moving to hug her back.

“You’re the best,” she murmured into his chest. “You’re so patient with me, no matter how much I rely on you.”

“Because it’s what I want to do,” he replied with a shrug, “and I should be thanking you.”

She peeked up at him, perplexed. “For what?”

“For wanting to get closer to me and giving us a try. For giving me a _chance._ ”

She chuckled at that and imagined that he’d have no idea why.

“…And for letting me be selfish.”

“Wh—” She pulled away to look fully at his face, gaping at him. “ _You?_ Selfish?”

He nodded. “Can I tell you something, Marinette?”

She nodded in return, wanting to know what he meant. “Anything.”

He smiled gratefully. “I know I look like I know what I’m doing, but even _I_ don’t know how to handle what you’re going through; I never had someone before you and Jule was lucky enough to get Rose on her first try. I really thought you just had a crush on Adrien and it was unrequited, and _that_ was why you were hurting so much.” He glanced off at the wall. “Then there was the time where Jagged Stone showed up at the Liberty to fight with my mom, and I saw how everyone reacted to you.”

Marinette blushed in embarrassment, burying her face into her hands. “ _Don’t remind me._ ”

“I didn’t mind,” he consoled, “but… it _did_ give me an idea of what was happening.”

She peeked at him through her fingers. “Yeah?”

“I was really glad when you said you wanted to hear me play,” he continued, referring to the time when everyone had gotten together to eat ice cream. “That’s when I knew you were interested in me, and that it was different than it was with Adrien. You deserve to move on and feel loved, Marinette, and if that means we have to go on a few dates so you can hear how a good song plays, that’s just what we’ll have to do.”

She mulled that over, having never thought of it that way. They’d had a mutual agreement to date without technically being “a couple,” but she’d presumed that he was just doing it for her and _she_ was the selfish one. While he knew what was wrong with her feelings for Adrien and was doing what seemed right - being a Couffaine, he’d never particularly cared about what was “expected” - he also had a crush on her and wanted to be in a relationship with her for _both of them._ After all, if she’d been in “real love” with Adrien, then Luka never would’ve been able to hold a place in her heart, and she wouldn’t have felt so unsure by the time the trip to New York had ended even with all the time she had to think about it. Luka _knew_ that, getting her in a way that Adrien could never seem to and being the only one willing to see past her anxiety and believe in her wants.

It was strangely comforting, actually, to know that he wanted to be mutually selfish with her.

Smiling, half to herself and half to him, she lightly pushed against his chest. “You sound really torn up about going on dates with me.”

He snorted. “It’s terrible. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.”

They laughed together, Marinette falling back against his chest in relief that the situation was sorted out. Luka wrapped his arms around her in response, hugging her tight while she enjoyed his warmth. The laughter eventually lowered to giggles, then to calm silence as they remained cuddled against one another, thankful that there were no interruptions or people coming in to break up the moment.

“…Luka?” Marinette called quietly, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere.

“Mm?”

“Can I take you out on a date tomorrow? Nowhere in particular, just… _out._ ”

His smile was warm. “I’d love that.”

She glanced up at him, then reached up to touch his face, feeling loved just by the way he leaned into her palm. Lowering her voice further, she whispered, “Someday, I want to kiss you for real, when there’s no Adrien obsession to worry about and everyone will finally stop talking about it.”

“You’re getting there,” he replied just as softly, “and I want to see the looks on everyone’s face when that last picture is down and they realize that they were too busy making fun of you to notice that you moved on.”

“And that’ll be your next song?” she asked. “Our duet?”

He pulled her closer, giving her a calm nuzzle. “Yeah. I might need your help with that one.”

She hummed in agreement, making it clear that she didn’t mind at all as she cherished his embrace. It was moments like these where her mind was clearer; where she understood what the difference was between how she felt about Adrien versus how she felt about Luka. She had to chase Adrien, whereas Luka was always by her side. He was her light in the darkness, showing her the way out when no one else was willing to guide her.

And the day she was out completely, he’d be the first to know.

**Author's Note:**

> The concept for this story was based on a tweet that "confirmed" that Adrimi and Lukanette are canon/dating by the end of Season 3. Personally, I don't buy into it because Word of God doesn't mean anything (look up "Death of the Author" to get an idea of what I mean), but nevertheless, I wanted to play with the idea.
> 
> To go into a little more detail, it's basically that Luka and Marinette are dating without strictly being a "couple." Luka has figured out by "Desperada" that Marinette's crush on Adrien isn't what he thought it was and - being the observant boi that he is - knows that it isn't "real" (due to her tunnel vision and how miserable it makes her + how people treat her over it). In addition, Marinette wants to move on, so they both just get to be selfish and "date" each other because they want to, with Luka knowing that her crush will pass if she just has someone to love and support her.
> 
> Honestly, I _do_ think Luka would be more annoyed with how Marinette was treated in the special than anything specific she did. Her hand was forced a lot of the time and she was making legitimate progress even if it was slow. The fact that no one seems to be on her side when she _admitted to Alya directly_ that she needed help seeing Adrien as a friend, only for Alya to do the _exact opposite,_ is really depressing. It feels like the show has to do it because otherwise Marinette _would_ move on and having a loving relationship with Luka otherwise, and they don't want that.
> 
> So yeah, I just think it says something that Marinette is in "love" with Adrien and in love with Luka, but how she interacts with Luka is so much more natural and sweet to watch. I just want her to be happy and Luka makes her happy whereas I feel like a relationship with Adrien is just going to doom her (for multiple reasons).
> 
> Funnily enough, I had an idea similar to this (that involved Luka and Marinette "dating" before she was "ready" because they're both "selfish") and the special+tweet just let me do a different take on it.


End file.
